You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!
Jesus' brilliant metaphor of strained gnats and swallowed camels nails his hypocritical opponents, the scribes and Pharisees. Hearing that remark, anyone can see how the scrupulously pious not only fail to observe God's law; but their behavior appears as intentionally stupid and irrelevant. Knowing perfectly well what they should do, they act contrarily.
But, should anyone point out what they are doing, they will simply dismiss the criticism. There are darker forces at work here, which neither they nor their critics can counter.
The story is told of the fellow late at night who searches around a street light. A passerby asks, "What are you looking for?" and he replies, "I lost my keys."
"I'll help you look!" the stranger says. So they both scan the sidewalk and finally the stranger says, "Are you sure you lost them here?"
"No," he says, "I lost them in the alley. But the light is better out here!"
Hypocrites do a right thing but not the right thing and suppose they are justified by that. They assume that God is equally inattentive and stupid and probably doesn't care.
Jesus continues with another metaphor,
"You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence."
At least as early as Moses' day our tradition has told us God sees the heart. If eight of the Ten Commandments concern external behaviors -- theft, adultery, murder, false witness and so forth -- the last two concern one's internal behavior, "Thou shalt not covet...."
No matter how admirable your behavior might be and regardless of how well your neighbors regard you, God sees your heart. Even when you don't.
But not seeing it is a poor excuse; it does not avoid the accusation of hypocrite.
...cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean.
Our Catholic tradition recommends a daily examination of conscience or examen. The goal is habitual awareness of my thoughts and feelings, of what is happening within me as well as what is happening around me. Even as I pay attention to others I know what drives me. I can choose which impulses to follow and which to let pass. Rather than justifying my anger, I decide whether it should guide my attitudes, thoughts, words, and deeds. (I let God decide if it is justified.) I want to recognize my desires and be honest about them in conversation with others.
Finally, I want to be aware always of God's loving gaze upon me and those around me. God is neither inattentive nor stupid. Realizing "He's got the whole world in his hands" and that my vision is limited and my desires short-sighted, I will ask for Wisdom's guiding hand in all my affairs.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.